


Hallucination

by Carried_Away



Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Drama & Romance, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff and Smut, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Is it Sunday yet, Please I need more chapters, Romantic Fluff, Sex, Shameless Smut, protect the cinnamon roll, what am I doing with my life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-07-21 03:46:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19995328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carried_Away/pseuds/Carried_Away
Summary: Hades doesn't think she's real. Persephone begs to differ. Multi-chapter.





	1. Chapter 1

He should have known it was the beginning of the end when he dreamed in pink. He only slept with Minthe once after they agreed to give themselves a proper try. It wasn’t their first song and dance, that was for sure. But he couldn’t get into the mood--his kisses were unenthusiastic, he let Minthe undress herself, and part of him didn’t even want to undress. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Minthe asked. She scowled at him from the bed, only in her bra, and Hades realized he stood over her motionless. They were supposed to be having sex and he was as still as a statue, for heaven’s sake. 

A deeper part of him knew that this didn’t feel right. “I’m… I’m not feeling well, after all,” he muttered. 

“Are you fucking serious? You’re just gonna quit, you don’t even have the goddamn class to get me off first?” 

This kind of talking wasn’t unusual for Minthe. She was a crass creature. Hades wondered why the hell he ever found her condescending sneer attractive in the first place. Wasn’t it because he deserved it? 

He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his tousled hair. He could get her off orally, but knowing Minthe, she’d complain about it. He wasn’t so sure he could get hard, not with how he was feeling. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding,” Minthe seethed from the bed. 

Hades opened his eyes. He pictured her under him instead, wearing nothing but a white nightgown to contrast her beautiful, pink skin. She wouldn’t sneer up at him from the bed. Oh no. She’d smile in anticipation. Not a coy, come get me smile. No, a smile that said “I-can’t-wait”, with big, pleading eyes that said, “Please! Hurry!”

He would hurry, that was for sure. He wanted every inch of pink to be covered in blue, but he knew better than to just possess her and crush her with his weight. He’d take it slow. He’d devour her skin with his mouth; let her claw his back, arch into him; and he’d rub his erection between her awaiting folds. But no penetration, not yet. Oh no, he’d make sure she was good and ready. There was a tongue and fingers to explore before he could even think about entering her. He wanted to take his time with her; see how many times he could make her squeak, moan, and plead before she screamed as she came around him. 

“You know what, fuck you!”

Hades was brought out of his fantasy when Minthe slapped him. She stood up from the bed, slipped on her panties, and hit him across the face. This was not the first time that she had hit him. It was a hard slap. His cheek stung. He decided that it was going to be the last time she’d hit him.

“You need to leave.”

Minthe scowled at him. “I’m just trying to knock some sense into you! I kept talking to you but you didn’t answer me!”

“Please, leave.”

“No! Listen you’re going--”

Hades also decided that this was the last time she’d interrupt him. “I’m not going to fuck you,” he said, his voice deadpan. “Get dressed and get out.”

He could have predicted the crocodile tears and pout that followed after. Minthe quickly went from anger to pleading, saying that she was sorry, she didn’t mean it, that they could still have a good evening together. The evening was ruined to Hades when she broke his fantasy. 

With Minthe gone, Hades saw that the night was still young. It was 12:10 on a Friday night. He took every other Saturday off from work, but lately he’d been working every Saturday in a row. He was supposed to take Minthe out tomorrow. 

“Fuck it,” Hades muttered. Wasn’t this the way he achieved such a successful Underworld? When the going gets tough, work. Emotional commitments? Fight with your significant other? Uncomfortable fantasies about a nineteen year old? Just go to work. 

However, despite himself, Hades knew that he had an uncomfortable erection. He could only deny himself for so long. How much longer could he think about numbers and figures before he thought about those soft, pink thighs and plump, round ass? He thought about releasing himself, right then and there in his bedroom. No one would know. He could close his eyes and pick up where his other fantasy left off. Minthe just left, someone who he could actually have sex with, yet he kicked her out and now he considered masturbating? 

“What is wrong with me?” Hades asked himself. In all two-thousand years of his life, Hades wanted to cry. Not for the first time, oh no. But for the first time, he didn’t know the why, and he felt more forlorn than he ever had.

_~*~*~*~_

When Persephone opened her eyes, she didn’t recognize her surroundings. For a heart-fluttering moment she thought that she was in Hades’s house. Confusion was not the first emotion, but a delirious excitement like a child gets when you say you’re going out for ice cream. 

However, reality was quick to remind the young goddess that this was not Hades’s house. There was no party, no foul play, no games this time around. Yet, Persephone did happen to be in Hades’s office at work.

Oh, right. 

That’s right. She was working earlier in the day and when she saw Hades leave the office with Minthe, she wanted to stay even later to get things done. There wasn’t much to do, in fact, she wouldn’t have to come in Monday if she didn’t want to. But Persephone hated the idea of leaving, even more, leaving alone. She especially hated the idea of going home alone while Hades went home with--with--with--

“His girlfriend,” Persephone said aloud. God, her heart wrenched. 

As the explanation to why Persephone was in his office specifically? She decided around 8:50 when the only souls still at the building were the cleaning crew, that she would write out an email to Hades and explain her feelings. He’d never read it. She’d delete it after she wrote it. It was a fool-proof plan!  
Persephone tapped away on her laptop, ignoring her hunger and exhaustion. Finally, after nearly two hours, she had her masterpiece written:

_Dear Hades,  
I think I like you. Technically you’d be my first crush so I’m not an expert on if I truly like you, but it feels like I like you. But you’re with Minthe, and that makes me feel ugly inside. Not because she’s ugly! Just jealous ugly. Asjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjkkkkkkkkkkjjjjjjjjjj_

She wasn’t concerned that it took her almost two hours to write forty-eight words, one of the words being complete nonsense. As Persephone typed away, she allowed herself to nod off, and her forehead fell down on the keyboard. When she snapped her head back up with a start, she nearly fell back in her seat out of complete horror. In her lapse of sleep, Persephone managed to hit the worst possible button to hit. 

**Send.**

“Oh no! Oh no! Gods, no! NOOOOOOO!”

Persephone bolted up to Hades’s office. The cleaners were inside vacuuming his office. She couldn’t believe her stroke of luck and sneaked inside the door, bee-lining straight for the closet Hades used to keep spare suit jackets. Persephone already knew what to do; she’d wait until the cleaner was through vacuuming, log onto Hades’s computer, delete the email, and then leave. 

Two problems presented themselves. Hades had a password lock on his computer (expected, honestly), and the cleaner locked the door when she left. Persephone quickly found herself in the worst possible situation: she was locked inside Hades’s office with no way to retrieve her email. 

First, she cried. And cried. And cried. Then, tired from her crying, she huddled into a meek ball on Hades’s couch and fell asleep. 

Once awake, Persephone realized she was still as screwed as she was from the beginning. She checked the time on her phone: 12:30 on a very, very early Saturday morning. Hades took this Saturday off. Unless someone else went into his office, Persephone was stuck. 

She felt the tears springing to her eyes. Why did she write such a stupid email? Why did she select Hades as contact, why couldn’t she just have written a draft with no selected recipient?

Before the tears could really fall, the door handle jingled. Persephone’s heart dropped. She moved to get off the couch but she wasn’t fast enough. The door opened. Persephone shrieked. A male’s voice exclaimed, “Hey!” 

**~*~*~*~**

He wasn’t expecting to see a flash of pink in his dark, dreary office. Seeing her was like a jolt of lightning and he was wide-eyed and paying full attention. Unfortunately, he was also halfway through a bottle of scotch, and as much as the pink goddess staring at him with big doe-eyes awakened him, it didn’t change the fact that he was intoxicated. 

“Hades!” Persephone shrieked. She was caught red-handed. “I-I can explain!”

“Explain?” he asked. “You can explain why I’m hallucinating you?”

“I can! I--what?” Persephone’s expression changed from one of fear to one of complete stupor. “Hallucination? What do you mean?”

“Oh please, like I need to explain to a hallucination what a hallucination is,” Hades muttered. He was warm. Very warm. He loosened his dress shirt and took off his suit jacket, throwing it on the floor.  
Persephone couldn’t decide if this was the worst possible outcome or the luckiest. She watched in utter fascination as Hades waltzed over and plopped himself down on the couch next to her. He slumped in the cushions and smelled strongly of liquor. “Hades… what’s wrong?” 

“You’re what’s wrong,” he snapped. 

She didn’t expect that answer. “Beg your pardon! What’s so wrong with me?”

He groaned and put his hands on his face. “Everything!”

Persephone was hurt. Part of her wanted to cry but it was overshadowed by the part of her that was angry. Demeter told her that alcohol made the truth come out. So this was how Hades really felt about her? He thought everything was wrong with her? 

“Well you’re no walk in the fucking park!” Persephone snapped. She brought her knees to her chest and sat as far away as she could from him on the couch. “The King of the Underworld needs to learn some manners! How dare you say that everything is wrong with me! You could at least be specific, but oh no, just go ahead and say everything! You big fat drama king!” 

Hades took his hands off his face and looked at Persephone. Now he was the one who was in stupor, who was confused beyond all words. “I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “I mean… nothing is wrong with you… nothing at all. You’re perfect, actually. You’re a goddamn dream come true.” 

Persephone looked away. She didn’t want Hades to see her blush furiously. “Then why did you say that?”

“Because I’m upset and I’m drunk.”

“Why are you upset?”

“Because I turned down sex with Minthe and kicked her out.”

“W-why did you kick her out?”

Without a moment of hesitation, Hades answered. “Because I want to fuck you.”

There was a silence that fell, thick and heavy. Persephone felt like the air was taken from her lungs, as if Hades’s words somehow stole her breath. She felt her hair grow longer and longer, and it was as if she was put inside an open oven. Hades looked at her with his glowing red eyes, stone-faced, awaiting her to respond. There was no shame in his expression, no fear, no guilt. It occurred to Persephone that Hades really did think that she was a hallucination, otherwise he would be through the roof and in Olympus with embarrassment. 

He didn’t think anything of it when she didn’t respond. He settled back in the couch and looked at the ceiling. “Some Saturday this is.”

“H-Hades,” Persephone muttered. She dared to move closer to the lifeless king, even though every inch closer to him set her body temperature soaring. 

“Yes, sweetness?” Hades asked. He kept his eyes on the ceiling. 

“Um… this… this isn’t a hallucination.”

“Yes it is.”

“No, it’s not.” Hades laughed. It was an easy going laugh. “It’s true,” Persephone insisted. “If this were fake, how could I touch you?” She reached out and put a small hand on his shoulder as proof. 

“You can touch hallucinations,” Hades argued. “I’ve had plenty of ones where I’m almost inside you.”

Persephone nearly fell off the couch from his brashness. Her hair grew another few feet, easily. “Almost!” she squeaked. “But we never have, have we?” In her frustration, Persephone held Hades’s face in both her hands and forced him to look up at her. “I’m real!” 

Hades smiled lazily in her hands. He reached up and kissed her like it was the most natural thing in the world. Not a peck, no, but a full-on, smack on the mouth, languid kiss. Persephone’s eyes were as big as full moons. She squeaked in surprise when their lips first made contact, but all it took was one convincing moment for them both to realize it felt right. Hades kissed her with a hazy, alcohol-induced passion. Persephone, although some part of her rational mind screamed no, kissed him back. This was better than anything she’d ever have. This was… this was what she wanted, wasn’t it? Hades grabbed Persephone’s hips and tugged her onto him so she straddled him on the couch. Their kiss became heated. Needy. She continued to cup his face with both hands, while his hands stayed on her waist. He groaned in a mixture of need and satisfaction and picked her up by the waist, flipping them so she was pinned into his couch and he was crushing her into the cushions. She ran her hands through his tousled white hair, smiling at the feeling of his tongue running over her lips. 

Eventually, someone had to breathe, and it was the one who didn’t swim for a regular hobby. Persephone broke from his lips with a gasp, eyes wide, chest heaving in labored breaths. 

All it took was a kiss for Hades to realize that Persephone was right. This was not a hallucination. This was real--it was nearly 1:00 in the morning, they were the only two souls in his office, probably the entire building, and he confessed his intentions to her before kissing her without permission. Oh, and he didn’t confess how he felt about her. No, no, he confessed that he wanted to fuck her. How was that supposed to make her feel? 

Hades made the face that Persephone expected him to make five minutes ago. He wore an expression of absolute, unadulterated horror. 

“Oh shit.”


	2. Chapter 2

Hades couldn’t remember the last time he fucked up so royally. He felt like he’d been punched. All the air left his lungs and he sank back into the couch. He was no longer pressed against Persephone’s soft body and already his body yearned to be against her once more. Hades dismissed these physical feelings. 

Persephone sat at the end of his couch stiffly, much stiffer than she had been before. Her hair was at least six feet long, disheveled to cover the entire left side of her face, and her white dress with the scoop-neckline fell off her shoulders. _She looks perfect like this_ , Hades thought briefly. She looked like she had just been thoroughly fucked, kissed, and ravaged, like the echoes of her release still ebbed through her. Just the thought of it made his cock twitch.

 _Stop it, Hades!_ He chided himself.

He sat up in the couch and leaned over so his elbows here on his knees and he was hunched over. He knew he had to say something, because with each passing moment the tension between them became more and more potent. Right as the King of the Underworld was about to speak (what he was going to say was beyond him), Persephone beat him to it:

“May I see your email?”

It was a simple request, like she had asked him the time. Hades nearly said yes, until he processed what she actually said to him. “I-ah-what?” 

“Aren’t you wondering why I was in your office in the first place?” she asked. She looked a bit perkier, her eyes wide and curious. 

Hades swallowed a troublesome lump in his throat. Of course, he didn’t question why the pink goddess was in his office. He thought it was a fever-induced hallucination—one of the best ones he’d ever had, at that. “No… b-but now that you mention it, why were you in my office?”

Persephone turned her head, unable to look at him. “I… uh… I sent you an email by accident. And I’d really like it if you didn’t question me and just show me your email so I can delete it. It’ll take like two seconds.”

“What’s the email about?”

“It’s not important.”

“Why can’t I read it?”

“Because it’s not for your eyes!”

“How did you email me in the first place? You know you can just save stuff as drafts, you don’t have to select a recipient.”

Persephone’s face was now a strawberry red. “I learned that the hard way, thanks!” she screeched. 

Hades didn’t understand why she was so upset but he didn’t want it to continue. He pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and opened the email tab. “You promise you’ll only delete it?” he asked.

Persephone saw his phone and her eyes became as big as full moons. “Yes! I promise!” Hades handed her his phone. Just a few clicks, and then she handed it back to him. “Thank you, Hades! Thank you so much!” 

He found himself smiling. She was practically beaming at him, she was so happy by his small gesture. He took the phone back from her and put it back in his pocket. “You’re welcome. Listen, it’s very late. I’m sure you want to go to sleep.”

Persephone’s face fell. Hades’s stomach dropped when he saw her frown. Was it something he said? She turned away from him again and stood up from the couch, picking her hair up and tossing it over her right shoulder. “I’m not… I’m not so sure going home is a good idea. Artemis has movie nights every Friday and I’m not—I don’t—I—”

Hades had no idea what to do. He sat there and helplessly watched Persephone flounder for a reason not to go home. “Hey, it’s okay. Why don’t you come back to my place? You can sleep in the guest bedroom. I’m sure Cerebus and Cordon Bleu will be happy to sleep on the bed with you.”

He felt like the biggest asshole in all of Olympus. Which was an accomplishment, given that his brother Zeus was in Olympus. Not so much as ten minutes ago he was on top of her, kissing her into oblivion, right after he confessed how great it would be to sleep with her. Oh, but he didn’t say sleep with, oh no. 

_You said you wanted to fuck her, you creep,_ Hades thought to himself. _And now you’re inviting her back to your house. When did you become such a predator?_

_It’s not like that,_ Hades argued to himself. _I-I won’t touch her. She’s just going to sleep._

“Alright,” Persephone agreed. 

Hades looked up at her. “What?”

“Alright. If that’s okay. I’ll go home with you.”

 _Oh no._

**~*~*~*~**

She wasn’t sure what to make of things, but Hades’s home really did seem like the best option. She knew that she could sleep at his house, and she felt like sleep was something she desperately needed. At least, for the love of the cosmos, she deleted the email. 

Hades was quiet during the drive home. Persephone felt increasingly anxious in the passenger’s seat. She tried to hide behind her hair just in case he wanted to look at her in his peripheral vision. _Why won’t he speak to me?_ Persephone asked herself. _I can’t take this hot and cold treatment. Did I do something wrong?_

 _Maybe he changed his mind about fucking you,_ a much darker voice in Persephone’s psyche whispered. 

_No… that’s not… that’s not Hades! He wouldn’t do that to me!_

_How would you know? You barely know him! For all you know, he’s taking you back to his place so you two can—_

The negative thought was never finished. Persephone was too deep in her insecurities, and a memory flashed in her mind of when Apollo went into her bedroom. She tried to push the memory back, but it was too late. The flood gates were open; Persephone felt his warm breath on her skin, his fingers press into her arms, his cold, heartless eyes. 

She screamed.

Hades nearly swerved off the road, shrieking in fright of his own. He quickly parked the car on the side of the road and reached over to put a hand on her shoulder. “Persephone, are you alright?” he asked. When his hand touched her shoulder, she jumped. She looked up at him with big eyes; he’d never seen saw a raw look of terror on her face. It scared him to see her so distressed. 

“W-what happened?” she asked.

“You were asleep, I think. Did you have a nightmare?”

“I… I don’t know. I must have. Are you sure I was asleep?”

“I think you were. Are you okay? Gods, you scared me so much.” Hades squeezed her shoulder. 

Persephone looked back up at him, taking in the panic on his face. “I’m just… uh… I’ve been on fumes lately,” she said. “Can you talk to me until I calm down? Tell me anything, it doesn’t matter.”

Hades wasn’t sure what in the world he was supposed to tell her. _Maybe now is a good time to explain that you don’t want to fuck her like a horny teenager,_ his mind chided. Even if that wasn’t the complete truth. 

“Uh… um… let’s see. I don’t live a very exciting life,” Hades said. 

She nearly smiled. “The King of the Underworld doesn’t live a very exciting life?”

“The irony isn’t lost on me, little goddess.” Hades tried to think. “Okay, this morning I was all out of my usual breakfast microwave bowls. I was desperate, so I took an egg and blended it with a banana.”

She giggled. “Why?”

“I heard it was a cheat way to make a pancake.”

“Did it turn into a pancake?” 

“I’m afraid not. I forgot to put the lid on my blender because Cordon Bleu got into my socks and I was distracted. I got egg and banana mixture all over my ceiling.” He felt an immediate relief when she smiled at his story. Seeing her smile was a great joy to him—he realized this with a warmth in his heart. “Oh, Kore,” Hades said. He moved his hand from her shoulder to her cheek. She didn’t flinch this time. She allowed him to cup her face. There was tenderness in his touch. 

Persephone nuzzled her face into his hand. “Hades,” she whispered. 

They stayed like that for a long moment, perhaps a full minute. He finally eased his hand away and gave her an assuring smile. “We’ll be at my house in five minutes, I swear it.” It was hard to believe that it was barely 1:30 in the morning. Time seemed to move at a snail’s pace. 

She nodded. “Okay.”

**~*~*~*~**

Hades was true to his word when he told her five minutes. He opened the garage door, promptly parked his car, and opened the passenger’s door for Persephone like a proper gentleman. “Thanks,” Persephone said in a small voice. 

“Are you, uh, hungry? Do you want a quick snack before you turn in?”

The two stepped into Hades’s home. Persephone smiled at the familiarity of the place. It felt like it’d been years since she was last at the king’s humble abode, but it had only been three weeks. Every day that Hades dated Minthe felt like a century, like the beginning of the end was on a ticking time bomb. Persephone shook her head of these thoughts. For all she knew, they were still together. He turned Minthe down for sex, he didn’t say he broke up with her. 

_But he turned her down because he wanted YOU dummy!_

“Persephone?” Hades asked gently.

“Huh? I’m sorry, what did you say?”

He smiled. “Do you want a late-night snack? Or, I guess it’s an early morning breakfast, isn’t it?”

His dimples were showing. Persephone felt her heart flutter. “Oh, uh, yes. Maybe. I-if you have any good snacks, yes, please.”

“Hmm. What would a good snack be?”

“Something simple, something that doesn’t need to be cooked first. I’d hate for you to spend any effort or time cooking for me.”

“Nonsense.” Hades went into his kitchen and opened his fridge. He stared at it for a moment and then opened his freezer. “Would you like an fudgsicle?”

Persephone giggled. “A what?”

“A fudgsicle. They’re just frozen chocolate ice cream bars.”

“Oh! Yes please!”

He chuckled and grabbed two of them. “Oh, I think they might have frostbite…” 

“That’s okay! Please, let’s eat them!” She was beaming again. He didn’t deny her any longer and handed her treat to her, taking the wrapping off his own. “They’re good,” Persephone approved. “Really good! And it’s just chocolate, huh?”

“Well, chocolate flavoring.”

“What’s the difference?”

Hades shrugged. “I don’t think I bought the name brand is all.”

She laughed and ate her treat. They talked about a few different subjects, both thinking about the kiss they shared earlier but refusing to bring it up. Persephone hopped off the kitchen bar stool and washed her sticky mouth off in the sink. “I, uh, I think I’ll turn in. Will you come to bed?”

For a moment, Hades’s heart skipped a beat. 

“Not with me!” Persephone shrieked. She turned red again. “I mean in general!”

“Oh, uh, yes, of course. Here, we’ll walk together, and I’ll show you the guest room.” Hades spared her and looked ahead instead of at the embarrassed little goddess. They made their way down his dark hallway, nothing but a sea of blues. “This door right here,” Hades said, stopping at the door. 

“Thank you,” Persephone whispered. She was painfully shy all over again and she hated it. They lingered at the door. Hades opened it for her, but Persephone couldn’t find the will to move. 

He sighed and knelt down so he was eye-level with her. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. 

Even in the dark, her bright pink eyes found his with incredible ease. “For what?” she whispered back. 

_Now’s your chance._

Hades never felt weaker in his entire existence. This was the opportunity to correct himself, to tell her how he felt. But the conviction drained from him and he broke their eye contact. “For all the trouble,” he muttered. He was ashamed. But before she could respond, Hades leaned forward and kissed her cheek. This was not a simple peck; this kiss lingered, his lips sealed against her skin, as if he could translate his feelings for her in this gesture. 

In one quick movement, he was back on his feet and walking away. “Goodnight,” he called once more. 

Persephone was left in a daze. She eventually remembered how to breathe and went into the bedroom. She took off her shoes and buried herself under the covers, falling asleep almost immediately. 

**~*~*~*~**

She woke up to a heavy pressure on her body and a swirling sensation on her skin. She opened her eyes to find that she was pinned to the bed. He was on top of her, and the swirling sensation was his tongue lapping around her bare breast. He looked at her with red eyes that she’s seen hundreds of times but didn’t recognize in that moment. They blazed with a concentrated fury that she’s never seen before, never even dreamed was possible.

Persephone wanted to ask him what he was doing. Instead, a moan slipped from her mouth and he licked her left breast harder, nibbling her nipple and massaging the other one with his large hand. There were many questions to ask; what he was doing in here, why she was naked, and what in all the cosmos they were doing. But Persephone’s rationality was turned off, and she surrendered herself to the absolute bliss that came from his touch. She ran her hand through his hair, clutching herself a handful to guide his head higher. 

Hades met her lips hungrily. His lips crashed onto hers and without a hesitation, his devilish tongue slid inside her mouth. He propped himself on his elbows so he wasn’t dead weight on her. She moved her legs up to try and wrap them around his waist—then she realized that he was also undressed, that it was bare skin on bare skin. Her mind swam with a mixture of lust and fear. He partially sat up on his knees and moved his hands up and down her body, over her curves, and grabbed himself a handful of her ass. 

“Oh, sweetness,” he grunted into her mouth, his voice guttural. He gave her ass another squeeze, then her thighs. 

“H-Hades,” Persephone whispered. She was quivering, whether in fear or desire, she wasn’t sure. 

“Fuck you into oblivion,” he muttered. “Oh sweetness, you’re gonna ride my cock until you can’t stand it.”

“Hades, please.”

He put his fingers against her folds, nearly dipping them inside. She twitched under him, writhing into his touch. “Oh, yes,” he smiled to down to her. He put a finger inside of her, then two. His fingers were long and thick; his two digits stretched her in a way she’d never felt before. He experimentally moved them side to side, and a sharp sting of pleasure rippled through her. She bucked into his hand.  
He smiled wickedly. “Oh, babe. You’re this wet for me already?”

Before Persephone could moan, she bucked again, but this time was different. 

**Crash!**

The pink goddess found herself on the floor of the guest bedroom. With wide eyes, she looked around, her heart beating a million miles a minute. There was no Hades. Her clothes were still on her. She somehow fell off the bed. 

“It was a dream,” Persephone croaked. 

She put her face in her hands and fought back a sob. She was so confused. So, so, so confused. On top of that, she couldn’t deny the yearning inside of her for his contact. She thought after what happened with Apollo that intimacy would feel bad. How could something as simple as a dream feel so good? 

She was torn between the residual fear of what happened with Apollo and the pleasure that came from Hades. These conflicting emotions confused her, made her head spin. Would it really feel that good if Hades touched her like that? Or was it just wishful thinking? Would he even want to touch her if he knew what happened? 

Persephone couldn’t dance around the truth any longer—she wanted Hades. She wanted him badly. 

_But he’s not yours, stupid girl._

Persephone knelt on the floor of the bedroom and put her face in the bed. “What am I gonna do?”

There was no one to give an answer.


	3. Chapter 3

Hades didn’t know when everything went sour, exactly, but just the thought of it made his stomach lurch. Perhaps it was the kiss in the office, or the kiss in the hallway, even if it was just on the cheek. All the king knew was that when Persephone came out of the guest bedroom at nearly noon on that Saturday, she wouldn’t even look at him. 

This wasn’t his first time dealing with rejection:

_“You’re a real piece of shit.”_

_“You smell like death.”_

But this was the first time where he couldn’t stand the rejection. It was like his entire body was on fire and he couldn’t put it out. He had no choice but to allow the flesh to burn. Self-loathing, his familiar friend, was there to console him. 

_You fucked up, Hades. Why would a girl like Persephone want to be with you?_ His mind asked. 

Hades stared into his coffee mug and tried to think of an answer. He couldn’t. 

“Morning.” Her quiet, timid voice was like a splash of water on his burning arm. It relieved him to hear her speak.

Hades immediately looked up from his coffee and at the goddess. She must have found something sharp in the guest bedroom, her hair was chopped to her chin. He felt stupid for the elated butterflies in his stomach at the thought of the pink flower petals he’d find later. “Persephone,” Hades said, speaking too quickly. He cleared his throat. “How did you sleep?” 

She wouldn’t look at him. She looked like she was on the brink of crying. “I slept okay, a bit of a rough time.”

“I’m sorry… was it the bed? Was it uncomfortable?”

“No! No, it wasn’t the bed, I just—”

“Next time you can sleep in my bed, it’s very comfortable.” 

**…**

****

…

****

**…**

Hades realized what he said, while Persephone processed what he said with widened eyes. Now she looked at him, but with an expression of embarrassment and surprise. “Th-that’s not what I meant,” Hades stammered. “I d-don’t, uh, I meant in terms of, uh, h-hey do you want any juice?”

Persephone took mercy on the fumbling blue god. “Yes,” she said. She almost smiled. “I’ll pour it myself, you don’t have to get up.”

“Nonsense,” Hades replied. He got off the kitchen island’s bar stool. The two stood next to each other as they stood in front of the fridge. Hades allowed himself to indulge in their height differences and enjoy her petite frame. He could hold her up with one arm for hours if he wanted to. 

“The fridge,” Persephone said.

“Oh, right.” Hades opened it and grabbed the orange juice. “Would you like any breakfast? I have eggs and toast.”

Again, Persephone almost smiled. “Toast sounds simple, thank you.”

He blinked down at her. “I’d be more than happy to make eggs for you. It’s no trouble.”

“I don’t want you to have to dirty your pots for me.”

“Dear, please stop thinking that you’re causing me trouble. That’s the very opposite of what you’re doing.” Persephone blinked a few times herself. Hades realized it was because she was trying to blink away tears. “Oh, no, Kore. I’m not trying—”

She hugged him. Her arms were vice-like around his waist and her face was buried in his stomach. He stiffened like a statue, still holding the orange juice in his hand, and completely stumped. However, it didn’t take him long to snap out of it and put his arms around her in response. 

“I’m sorry, Hades,” Persephone whispered. He had to strain to hear her meek voice. “This… this isn’t… this isn’t right.”

“What isn’t right?”

Finally, she looked at him with her giant eyes. They were more than sad, they were devastated. “If you knew about… everything… then… you’d understand. It hurts too much, Hades. You’re not mine.”

“Kore, I don’t—”

“I’m want to go home, Hades. Please.” 

**~*~*~*~**

For not the first time that day, Hades looked out the window of his office, leaning against the window pane for support. It was raining outside. He wondered if today was the first day it started or if it had been raining; to him, it felt like it rained for the past two weeks. 

The King of the Underworld couldn’t remember the last time he felt so depressed. There were times in his long life where he felt like giving up, like he was a hopeless cause, a failure. But this was so much worse because even his work didn’t help him. He stared down at his papers, stared at his computer screen, reviewed emails and invoices and charts—and all he thought was pink. Everything, every goddamn thing in his blue world was pink. 

“Hades! Sit your ass down!”

He didn’t jump when Hecate’s loud, commanding voice filled the peaceful air. Instead, he looked over his shoulder and at her with a bored expression. “You should have knocked,” he said.

Hecate, who was upset by the flush of her face, sat herself down at the chair across from his desk. “I did knock. Five times. You’re too busy in la-la-land to hear me.”

With a sigh, Hades sat at his desk and faced Hecate. “Did you need something?”

Hecate straightened up in her seat. “I’ve given you two weeks, Hades. Two weeks to get all the mopey sadness out of your system. Yet, here we are, two weeks later and you’re still just as blue.” He raised a questioning brow at her. “It’s an expression,” Hecate said. “Tell me what’s wrong, Hades. I’m using my hour lunch to play therapist with you.”

“Nothing is wrong,” Hades muttered. 

Hecate rolled her eyes. “That’s how they all start out, don’t they?” Hades crossed his arms and slumped in his seat. He was like a big, blue petulant, child. Not for the first time, Hecate felt like his severely underappreciated and underpaid mother. “If you don’t tell me I’ll guess.”

Hades remained silent, a grimace of defiance on his face.

Hecate sighed. “Fine. Let me guess, you had a falling out with Persephone? And before that happened, there was trouble in paradise with Minthe? I don’t think she quit as your P.A. out of the blue. Again, that’s just an expression. So Minthe quit, probably because she finally pushed your buttons a little too hard, and you told her enough. Hmm… but how does Persephone play into this? Perhaps she caught you at a moment of weakness? And in that moment of weakness, you did something stupid, didn’t you?”

Hades’s grimace was now a full-on scowl. Hecate grinned, knowing that her detective work was still just as good as it had been in the past. 

“I really don’t like you, sometimes,” Hades muttered. 

Hecate shrugged. “Your turn to talk.”

**~*~*~*~**

Persephone left Hades’s home feeling numb. Two weeks later, she still felt that same debilitating numbness. She could hardly believe that the time passed the way it did. Was this what being immortal was like? Could such strong feelings truly linger, make time speed up? She couldn’t imagine spending a year in this sadness, let alone a century. 

She stared at her entwined hands and leaned over the kitchen counter. Artemis would be home soon, and they would make pizzas together. Persephone spent much more time with her best friend. It helped, but it didn’t ease the numbing. Not at all. 

_I bet Hades has felt like this,_ Persephone thought to herself. _He’s probably felt years and years of sadness. Loneliness. He’s been alive so long… I bet when he feels something, he really feels it…_

She closed her eyes and imagined Hades walking through the front door and smiling at her. He avoided her in the two weeks that had passed, and how could she blame him? She asked him to drive her home and ignored him, too. But he was the boss and it was his building. He was the one who stayed locked up in his office for who knows how long. Persephone knew it was her fault he stayed in there. For not the first time, her lips tingled in a ghost of a kiss. She allowed her mind to wander—she imagined his hands on her body, just like in her dream. How good would it feel if he gripped her thighs, lifted her up and against his body, let her wrap her arms around his shoulders? She didn’t have to wonder what it would be like to kiss him. The one kiss they shared was passionate, it was everything Persephone wanted in a kiss. She could practically taste Hades’s want, his need. 

“Persephone? Are you home?”

It was not Artemis’s voice that brought Persephone out of her daydream, but a voice she wished she’d never hear again. She shot up straight and torqued around to see Apollo. He came in through the back door and grinned at her. He was trying to seem friendly, but he practically leered at her like a hyena. 

“You need to leave,” Persephone whispered. She felt a pressure tighten in her chest, like an invisible hand squeezed her heart. 

“Leave? On pizza night?” Apollo asked. “How have you been, sweetheart?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sure, okay. How have you been?” He stepped towards her. Instinctively, Persephone shot out of her seat at the kitchen counter and put space between them. Apollo stopped smiling. “Where’s the fire?”

“I don’t want you here. How dare you come in here when Artemis isn’t home.” 

Apollo smirked. It was not one of amusement, but one of contempt. “I came here a little early, sweetheart. I want to give you a fair warning. After all, I’m a fair guy.”

“What could that possibly be?”

Apollo looked away from her and pretended to stare at something else entirely. “I want us to get to know each other more. And… if you don’t want to… then people will know how well we already know each other.” A loud ringing went through Persephone’s ears. She heard the words Apollo said, but she didn’t process them. She didn’t know how. Everything was moving way too fast. He looked back at her, expecting an answer. “I’ll take your silence as a yes?”

Persephone wanted to die. She never knew the true weight of shame the heavy load of regret. But when Apollo said yes, she managed to snap herself out of it. “I hate you,” she whispered sharply. “I hate you so, so much.”

He smiled. It was a smile of a predator, of a god who was used to taking what he wanted. “You won’t always hate me. You’ll learn to like me.”

“I’ll never learn. Do whatever fucked up thing you want to do, Apollo. You’ll never have power over me… never… never again!”

Apollo was about to shout at her. However, his sister beat him to it. 

“Apollo!” Artemis yelled. She appeared at the back door, carrying to paper bags filled with groceries. Persephone felt a wave of relief crash over her. 

“Artemis!” Apollo exclaimed, faking happiness. “Let me help you with those, sis.”

“You need to leave,” Artemis barked. Her tone of voice left no room for argument. 

“Leave? I just got here.”

“Leave, Apollo. Now. This is a no boys allowed home, and I fucking mean it.”

Apollo was angry, but his anger was matched by his sister’s own wrath. She stared down her twin, unmoving and unrelenting. “Fine,” Apollo spat. “You’ll hear from me soon. Or, I guess I’ll hear from you soon. Huh, Persephone?”

Persephone said nothing. Apollo slammed the back door and left the house. 

Artemis dropped the groceries on the kitchen floor and ran to Persephone. She had no idea what happened, what was said, or what Apollo did—all she knew was that her best friend looked like she was scared out of her mind. Artemis hugged Persephone, finding her to be rigid in her arms. “What happened?” she asked.

“Thank you for kicking him out,” Persephone whispered.

“Yes, well… he was wrong for coming here. What’s wrong, Persephone? Please tell me."

Persephone buried her face in Artemis and breathed in her woodsy scent. For the first time in what felt like eternity, she felt a sense of comfort. She missed this—she missed the physical contact that she used to have with the flower nymphs. The hugs, the hand holding, the squeeze of a shoulder. This was no flower nymph, this was Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. But Artemis was scared, just like she was.  
“Please, just hug me,” Persephone whispered.

Artemis did just that. 

**~*~*~*~**

He almost didn’t want to tell her everything, especially about the part where he confessed to Persephone that he wanted to “fuck her instead”. But there was a reason that Hecate was Hades right-hand; she was wise, and she knew better than to call Hades a—

“Fucking perv.”

Hades nearly sputtered on his water. “Excuse me?!”

Hecate shrugged. “That’s what she thinks you are, probably. It doesn’t help that your older brother is basically an out of control man-whore. God, sometimes when I think I have it bad, I think about how bad Hera has it. What a sham.” Hades stared at her, dumbfounded. Hecate blew a strand of hair out of her face and continued, “So here’s where you messed up. You made Persephone think that you just want to have sex with her, and you’re not overly concerned about her feelings. Persephone is still young, Hades. I’m sure you don’t need me telling you that. I doubt the first relationship she wants is one where she’s a plaything.”

“I don’t want that either!” Hades exclaimed. “I-I do want Persephone! Are you kidding? If I had Kore I’d be… I’d… it’d be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Hecate raised a brow. “Then tell her.”

Hades snapped out of his pink-colored daydream. “Hecate, you know me. I’m not… I’m not right for her. She’s so… pure… so amazing… and the program she’s trying to get in! Imagine if I ruined that for her? She’d resent me.”

The goddess softened when she saw how tormented the king’s thoughts really were. “You always overthink things,” Hecate said kindly. “Wouldn’t you say that Persephone is smart?”

“Very! She’s impressively smart!”

“I think so, too. Don’t you think she’s smart enough to decide for herself what she wants? If Persephone wanted a relationship with you… and all the mature, adult aspects of a relationship included… don’t you think she’d know what she’d risk before she agreed?”

Hades was silent. 

Hecate tried smiling at him. “I know you care about her. It’s painfully obvious. Just be honest with her. Tell her how you really feel. Stop hiding in your office, for heaven’s sake. It’s been two weeks and she’s literally one floor below you!”

Hades finally smiled back at her. “Thank you, Hecate. I… I value you… you know that, right?”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s impossible to miss.” A ding went off on Hecate’s phone. She opened her email to check the notification. 

The next thing Hades knew, Hecate’s calm expression contorted into one of complete horror. “Hecate? Hecate, what’s happened?” he demanded.

Her eyes met his—Hades knew right then that this was something serious. Hecate never showed her emotions unless it was truly something to be worried about. “There are pictures of Persephone. Someone sold them to the press. She’s… she’s…” Hecate tried to explain.

Hades reached over and snatched Hecate’s phone from her hands. He moved quicker than Hecate was ready for. She watched helplessly as Hades scrolled through her phone. The next thing she knew, his red eyes were everywhere, his blue skin turned as black as the galaxies, and fury consumed the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad that I got to write other characters in the story, other than Hades and Persephone. I think after Persephone and Artemis had their fight (and Artemis made that adorable apology cake lol) Artemis would be firm about Apollo not coming to the house. Not because she knows what happened, but because she knows Persephone is uncomfortable around him. I dunno, that's my interpretation. 
> 
> Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter had no smut. It's a stepping stone chapter as I like to call it. Thank you so much for all the support, I truly appreciate it :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GET READY FOR A LONG CHAPTER, BOI

He blended with the night. He was faster than any bird, any aircraft, any god, even Hermes the God of Speed, could ever hope to be. Hades was a shooting star, causing black ripples to distort the nighttime sky of the Underworld. 

However, the night had to end as the Underworld became Olympus, and the distortions of the night became an obvious, moving black hole in the sky. Some people noticed—children screamed when they saw the big ball of darkness, men and women stared in awe, and everyone tried their best to see _what_ exactly it was they were seeing. 

Zeus, on the other hand, didn’t have to be told. He stood at the window of his office, watching as his brother approached him with immense speed. This wasn’t the first time his brother had flown off the handle, so to speak, but it was the first time in centuries. Centuries and centuries. Hades was not easy to appease when he was angry. Not easy at all. 

As Hades got closer, it was easier to see the look of pure, unadulterated fury upon his face. His skin was as black as the galaxies, his white hair in long tendrils that was blown back with the wind. His eyes were blood red. The last time Zeus saw Hades like this was when the humans started the Trojan War, and _that_ was a disaster everyone wanted to try and forget. 

There was a loud CRASH as Hades smashed through the pane glass walls of Zeus’s office. The God of the Underworld landed on his feet and stood to a leering height of nearly seven feet. 

**“Zeus.”**

“Yes, yes, calm down,” Zeus said, completely disregarding his brother’s menacing look. “You can’t sit down on my couch if you’re spurting those little flames. Hera will kill me.”

Slowly, Hades’s skin turned back to blue, his hair returned to its normal length, and he shrunk down to his more reasonably tall height. The only part of him that didn’t go back to normal were his blazing red eyes. Hades huffed and puffed, leering at his brother, who chose to sit down at his desk. 

“So…” Zeus drawled. “How are the doggies?”

Hades shook his head. “You know why I’m here. I know you know.”

“I don’t know who released those pictures, brother. Why would I know?”

“I don’t expect you to know, I expect you to give me full reigns to find out who.”

“Why would I do that?”

“So I can throw the fucking bastard in Tartarus and make sure he never sees the fucking sun for all eternity!” Hades yelled. His face started to return to its galaxy black form. 

“Calm down,” Zeus ordered. “We don’t know the full situation about Perse—”

“We don’t need to know!” Hades interrupted. He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and showed Zeus the screen. “Look at her! Look at her eyes! She’s been entranced, she’s under a spell! Whoever did this to her took advantage of her! That monster touched her, took pictures against her consent!”

The pictures were of Persephone sprawled out on a bed, her eyes hazed over with a mixture of gold and pink, like water and vinegar that just wouldn’t mix. It was obvious that someone was over her, his shadow was in the picture. Persephone’s pajama shirt was still on, although it was pulled down enough to reveal some cleavage. The incriminating part of the photo was the fact that Persephone’s panties were next to her on the bed. The worst part, if there even was a worst part, was the headline that the tabloids chose to write:

**Pink Flower Goddess Deflowered!**

Zeus stood up from his seat and leaned over his desk. “Hades, brother, calm down. We don’t know if she wanted to… ahem… if she agreed to it or not.”

“Agreed to it? She’s in the maidenhood program!”

Zeus shrugged. “That’s never really mattered before. I would know.” Hades snarled at his brother. He smacked all of Zeus’s papers and documents off his desk in one quick movement. “Enough!” Zeus yelled, finally mad himself. “You’re overreacting! You’re an Olympian, damn it! You’re better than some B-graded goddess! It was cute when you had a crush on her, but it’s gone too far!”

“How dare you speak about her like that!”

“It’s true, Hades! Come on, it’s been like a month since my party! Are you telling me that you care so much about her in just a month’s time? Are you really head over heels for a little girl?”

Hades didn’t answer. Instead, he glared at his brother. Red eyes stared into purple ones; the conviction of the red made the purple look away. “This is more than if I like her or not,” Hades said. His voice was no longer excited, but a deep rumble. “This is about a girl who got taken advantage of.” 

“You’re assuming that,” Zeus argued.

“I don’t care if I have your support or not, I’m going to find out who did this. Rules will be broken, Zeus. You broke them when you had your many affairs on your wife. Some of them were just as young as Persephone, in case you forgot. Now, it’s my turn to break the rules. Mark my words, brother. If you come between me and my vengeance, you will lose.”

With that, Hades turned his back on the God of Olympus, the god that all the mortals feared and respected the most. Zeus said nothing. Instead he watched Hades jump back out the window he broke and fly back the way he came. 

“Thetis,” Zeus called. 

There was a moment of hesitation, then her voice shakily asked, “Y-yes?”

“Call Hera,” Zeus ordered. In a voice that only his own ears heard, he muttered, “No matter what, she must not talk to my brother.” 

**~*~*~*~**

Twenty-eight missed calls. Persephone stopped counting after twenty-eight missed calls from her mother. She felt numb. Who knows how long she had her back against the trunk of the tree, it had to be hours? But Persephone felt disconnected from herself; she wasn’t aware of any discomfort. 

A full day passed since Apollo released those pictures. They weren’t as bad as Persephone thought. She thought that his pictures would show her in her full naked glory, but it turned out that night he kept her shirt on. She didn’t remember when he took off her panties. Why would he even want those in the pictures?

A chill crept up her spine like a spider. She knew why. She just wished that she didn’t. 

“Maybe I can change my identity,” Persephone whispered to herself. “I’ll find a way to dye my skin?”

_Dye it black, to match the ashes of my broken heart._

Part of her wished that she had given in. Maybe she put on a brave face when she faced Apollo, but she wasn’t ready for the consequences. Her mother, her schooling, her housing—Artemis might side with him. She was his twin sister, after all. Persephone couldn’t ask Artemis to betray her own flesh and blood. Not when she could have said no. Not when she gave in to him, when she eventually relented and allowed him to touch her. 

_Because if I hadn’t, he wouldn’t have left me alone. He said I was mature enough to handle it, and I was. I am! I am mature enough! He said I flirted with him all day, maybe I gave off signals I wasn’t supposed to?_

Fresh tears pooled at Persephone’s eyes. She brought her knees to her chest and cried. What happened with Apollo was nothing like she expected. She wanted to enjoy it. She wanted to giggle, smile, moan, and enjoy the act. 

Despite herself, Persephone imagined what it would have been like if it were Hades. If Minthe was gone and he was free. If the blue god was hers. If it was the weight of his body that pressed her into the bed that night. His voice that whispered to her, but instead of words of convincing, they were sweet nothings. Gentle hands, not rushed ones. Slow, savored strokes, not rushed and painful ones. And once it was all over, he would hold her close, let her nuzzle his neck—not leave her alone in her bed, scared and in pain, with an unfamiliar, uncomfortable ooze between her legs.

_I don’t think I would have been afraid if it was Hades… I think I would have liked it…_

“But why would he want me now?” Persephone sobbed. “Why, why would anyone want me? I’m way over my head with nowhere to go.”

Nowhere to go, indeed.

**~*~*~*~**

She answered the door even though it went against her better judgement. The last person Artemis expected to see on the other side was the blue god himself, Hades. Artemis swung the door open and glared up at him; she may not be as short as her roommate, but his height was far greater than hers, as well. 

Her scowl was met with a scowl of his own. 

“Where is she?” Hades asked. 

“You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve coming to my doorstep and demanding things out of me,” Artemis replied. Her voice was just as controlled as his. 

“Do you know who did this to her?”

“Of course not!”

“Is there anyone here who would be after her? A classmate? Is there anyone with a vendetta against Persephone?” Hades demanded.

He didn’t know what it was he said, but Artemis lost a peg of conviction. “I-I don’t know.”

She stammered once. He knew he had her. Hades stepped inside the house and Artemis automatically stepped back. “You don’t know where she is,” Hades said. It wasn’t a question. 

Once she faltered, she did so again. Artemis dropped her eyes and shook her head. “I’m worried sick,” she mumbled. 

Hades softened. He was ready for an all-out war with the stubborn purple goddess, but he saw that wasn’t necessary. He may not have a lot in common with Artemis, but the one thing they did share was plain as day—they both cared for Persephone. “Listen,” Hades began, making sure his voice was softer, “I’ve already searched the Underworld for her. She’s not there. I’ve got people in Olympus looking for her, but I don’t think she’s there. I need you to help me find her.”

Artemis met Hades’s eyes. “My help? I don’t know where she is.”

“You’re the Goddess of the Hunt, are you not?”

She made a face. “I don’t hunt other gods.”

“No, but you’re the best tracker out there. We have to go to her, Artemis. You have to help me find her.” Hades put both hands on her shoulders. Artemis stiffened, but she allowed him to do so. “I know you’re not my biggest fan… but I just want what’s best for Persephone. She’ll self-destruct if we don’t find her. You know it, and I know it.”

Artemis almost cried, but she willed the tears to stay in. Never cry in front of a man—that was one of her mottos. She shrugged Hades’s hands off her shoulders. “There’s a place in the human world that she liked to hide in. It was when Demeter was especially harsh and Persephone was fed up with the flower nymphs. I saw her hide there, once, when I was in my deer disguise.”

“I’ll take us to the human world if you lead me to the spot,” Hades said. 

Artemis shook her head. “If Demeter catches us in her domain…”

“You let me worry about that. Take my hand, Artemis.”

She had one last moment of doubt but decided that this was the best course of action. With a sigh, Artemis took the king’s hand. They disappeared from the living room in a blink of an eye. 

**~*~*~*~**

They were in the wild woods of the human world, but more importantly, they were in Demeter’s region. “Do not speak,” Artemis whispered to Hades. He looked at her with an incredulous look. “Rule number one about the hunt: be quiet. There could be flower nymphs nearby. A few of the trees are Demeter’s spies. Just follow me.”

Hades felt a dread roll through his stomach but nodded. What else could he do? He stepped carefully behind Artemis, who lead the way. It would be nighttime soon, maybe an hour at most. Hades hoped he’d find Persephone before the dark. 

Artemis moved with a true litheness that a goddess would have. Hades thought that she resembled Athena—strong, deliberate movements and a focus as sharp as a knife. He’d never tell Artemis this. It’s not like she’d accept his compliment. But she was trying her hardest to track Persephone, and for that Hades was eternally grateful. 

The twenty minutes that passed felt like another century. Hades didn’t know what he would do if he didn’t find her. He wouldn’t stop searching for her, he knew that much. This was torture; pure, bitter torture. 

Artemis put a hand on his chest to stop him. He stiffened and halted in his steps. Artemis looked up at him, then pointed with her chin straight ahead. There was a tightly built bundle of trees, too close together to be natural. They were white birch with pink leaves, if it wasn’t obvious enough. The trees caved in themselves, like a claw, effectively shutting off the center with the leaves and branches. Persephone made herself a little cocoon to hide in. 

Hades thought that his heart really dropped down to his stomach, as silly as it seemed. “I’m going to her,” he whispered to Artemis. 

The purple goddess looked up at him. “I helped you, Hades. I need you to promise something in return.”

“Anything.”

“Bring her back to me.”

Hades nodded. He stepped forward and made his way to the cocoon of trees. 

**~*~*~*~**

She didn’t know how much time had passed. She was awoken from her restless slumber by a soft yet urgent:

“Kore.”

Persephone jumped and nearly poked her eye out on one of the many protruding branches. “H-Hades?”

“Kore! It’s me!” The sound of branches snapping sounded off, as well as a few grunts and a distant, “Oh no, not my new tie.” It took Hades more effort than he’d admit to get through the thicket of branches, but eventually he made it to the pink goddess before him. He was on his hands and knees because the only way in was to crawl. There was no way for him to walk inside Persephone’s tightly knit shelter. 

There was the King of the Underworld himself—disheveled hair with twigs sticking out, dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a fresh scratch across his cheek from a rogue branch. A drop of golden-colored blood spilled from the fresh cut on his face. 

Persephone forgot how to breathe. Just the sight of Hades was enough to make her mind go blank. It had been two weeks since their last encounter—since she asked him to drive her home and forced herself not to watch him drive away. He avoided her at work, yet here he was, just an arm’s reach away. 

She turned her head, fighting back tears. “Please… please don’t ask me about what happened…” 

Hades knelt in front of her and reached a hand out to cup her cheek. “It’s okay. I’m not… I’m not angry… not with you. I’d never be angry with you, sweetness. But whoever did this to you, trust me, I’ll find him. I’ll make him pay. I’ll make his life a living hell for the rest of eternity.”

Persephone sat up on her knees, mirroring Hades, sitting so their knees touched. He leaned over to make up for the height difference, while she straightened up the best she could. She looked into his eyes, finally able to face him. She didn’t care that she was crying. What was the point, anyway? He’d seen it before, what made this time different?

“I’m sorry,” Persephone whispered. Her bottom lip quivered, it felt like she swallowed an entire bottle of glue and it expanded in her throat. “I’m not strong like you. I’m weak. I’m sorry… I’m sorry that I’m this way… that I’m not stronger for you.”

Hades wrapped his arms around her. He couldn’t stand it. He had to touch her. He engulfed her in his arms, pulling her into his lap, and her arms automatically went around his neck. “Don’t you say that,” Hades said. His voice was hushed, stern. 

“It’s true,” Persephone sobbed. “And now look at the mess we’re in. It’s all because of me. I’m not strong like you.”

“No. Don’t say that.” Hades eased back so that he was flat on his back with Persephone on top of him. He gently grabbed both sides of her face and eased her head back so that she’d look at him. “You’re strong, Kore,” Hades uttered. 

She didn’t believe him. One of her stray tears fell onto his chin. Hades thought that he’d cry himself if this kept up. He hated to see her so sad, so, so, so sad.

“Sweetness…” he said. He took a deep breath. “The truth is that I’m not strong. I’m a weak man, believe it or not. I’m weak because I’m too afraid to admit that I’m in love with you. I’d rather suffer in my misery, because for some reason, I think I deserve it. But I’m even more afraid of being alone. So what do I do? I pretend that I care for Minthe, because misery loves company, right? I’m a weak man because I’d rather live a lie with Minthe and be unhappy than take a chance on you and admit that I’m in love with you. I’m an idiot, Kore. I’m a big blue dummy. I love you. It’s crazy because I barely know you, and it’s even crazier that in all the years I’ve been alive, I’ve finally found someone who makes me happy. I’d move mountains for you, Kore. I’d burn cities, I’d destroy the Underworld, I’d renounce my God-hood if that’s what it would take. I’d do anything to make you happy.”

…

…

…

Her eyes were impossibly wide, as big as the cosmos. She struggled to say something, and with each passing second, Hades’s heart beat harder against his ribcage. She was rendered speechless. 

Then, without warning, she smiled. 

All it took was her smile to alleviate all the pressure off his soul. Finally, she smiled. The world suddenly didn’t seem so bleak, the end didn’t seem so near, the impossible wasn’t as out of reach as he thought—all because she smiled. 

He couldn’t stand it. He craned his head up and captured her lips with his own. 

This wasn’t like their first kiss. She knew how he tasted and she loved it. She kissed him back, meeting his fervor with her own. When she kissed him, she didn’t feel so sad. With Hades holding her in his arms, she didn’t feel so alone, so isolated. Persephone kissed him like it was her last five minutes of life. He ran a hand through her hair and wrapped an arm around her waist to secure her. She peppered kisses on his chin and moved down to his neck.

“Oh Hades. I love you, too.”

His eyes fluttered shut and he enjoyed the bliss that came from her pink lips. The way she kissed him so lovingly, so excitedly, and especially the way she sat on top of him. She molded into him like. Hades realized that this was what true bliss felt like. The closest he’d ever come to a feeling like this were the moments he had with his mother—a pure joy. 

It didn’t take long for his desire to take over. Hades gently grabbed Persephone’s face and brought her back up to his. She kissed him eagerly, and he flipped them so she was underneath him and he was on top of her. Hades leaned back to admire the sight before him—Persephone underneath him, hair fanned out around her, lips already swollen from their kisses. She stared up at him with the fiercest look he’d ever seen in his life.

“I want you.”

She spoke with a conviction that was not to be argued with. 

“I—ah—I,” Hades stuttered. He felt his cock twitch in his pants. He wanted her to, just like he wanted her in his office when he found her there. “Kore… I want you, too. But the last thing I want is for you to feel obligated. For the love of Gaia, you—”

She interrupted him with speed he didn’t anticipate. “Please, Hades. I’m not a child. I know what I want. You’re finally mine.”

_Yours,_ Hades thought with elation. He cleared his throat, “I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to screw this up.”

Persephone offered him another smile. “I know, and I appreciate it so much. But I think it’ll feel good with you. The other time… it didn’t feel… it hurt.”

Hades closed his eyes, that way she wouldn’t see the rage behind his lids. He hated that she had such an awful first time. He hated it for her so much. “I’ve got an idea, little goddess,” Hades whispered.

“Oh?”

“You let me decide what to do. And next time, you’ll decide what to do. But let me go first, yes?”

Her eyes widened. “Next time, huh?”

“Should you want a next time,” he smirked. Hades kissed the tip of her nose. “Just let me handle this, sweetness.” He kissed her neck, down to her shoulder, and ran his hands up and down her curves. 

“Wh-what will you do?” Persephone whispered. 

“Nothing you don’t want, don’t worry,” Hades assured.

“No, I trust you! I just want to know.”

He looked up at her, his mouth still on her bare shoulder. “Can I touch you, Kore?” he whispered.

She arched herself into him. “Please.”

He smiled. “If you don’t like something, just tell me—”

“Please!” she interrupted. “I feel like I’m going to burst!”

Hades grinned. “That, my dear, is called need. And do you know what it is you need from me, sweet goddess?” 

Persephone could only stare at him with big, pink eyes. Hades traveled lower and spread her legs, nestling himself between them. He kissed her inner thigh. “Release,” he said, answering his own question. She writhed into him as he held her, one hand under her waist to hold her up, the other clutching a handful of her thigh. He nibbled his way up to her awaiting folds. Her scent was strong. 

Hades waited to see if she would deny him. Instead, she urged him with more thrusts. She was so desperate for friction. He used the hand that held her thigh to pull aside her panties. Persephone was glistening with need. Hades gave her a languid lick between her folds with his strong tongue. 

“Aaah!” Persephone moaned. 

He smiled against her. _Yup, still got it._

The king licked her some more, tasting her sweet need, lapping at her with a lustful hunger. Persephone tried to reach out and run a hand through his hair, but her arms were too short. Instead, she held the wrist that he had around her waist and gave him an encouraging squeeze.

“Oh, Hades.”

He could hear that every moment of every day and he’d never get tired of it. He continued his onslaught, feeling her muscles contract against his tongue. Hades knew exactly what he was doing when he kissed her higher and made contact with her little bundle of nerves. He massaged her clit, and she squealed in absolute delight. 

“Oh, Hades! H-Hades!”

She was close. He inserted a finger and felt her warm, soaking heat. She mewled when he did so, and he pumped her, experimentally curling his finger.

“Hades, I’m… I’m…”

_Yes, you are,_ he thought. He focused solely on her clit. Persephone shrieked as she came and he lapped up every bit of her release. She moaned as she rode herself out in his mouth, as she arched into his tongue. 

Then, as quickly as it came, it left. Persephone went limp on the ground, breathing heavily for air. Hades gave her folds one last lick and then climbed up to meet her face to face. She was beautiful; the way she panted for breath, the glaze of pleasure in her eyes. 

“Oh, Hades,” Persephone said. “I-I-I had no idea that it… that it felt so good.”

Before he could reply she captured his lips in another kiss, running her hands through his hair. Finally, they broke apart, because she still hadn’t caught her breath. 

“You deserve so much more, darling,” Hades whispered. He wrapped his arms around her. “Shall we go home?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, this was a stressful chapter. I went back and read the chapters where Apollo raped Persephone and it was so hard to read. My heart hurts for her so much. With that said, I wanted to actually approach the aftermath with as much respect as I could. I didn't want it to be a "Hades-swoops-in-and-is-the-hero" type deal. Hopefully you guys liked it. Thank you so much for all the wonderful support ;w;
> 
> I'm thinking there will be one more chapter to and it will conclude! I can't decide between one really long one or two decent sized ones lol.

**Author's Note:**

> This was either going to be a really long one shot or a 2-3 chapter story. I went with the latter. Thanks for reading!


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